Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State
Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education
policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and
congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of
Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors,
principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations,
education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory
agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the
email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
PA Ed Policy Roundup Sept. 24, 2019
Blogger note: I would
like to offer ten times my annual school board member salary to the first
reporter willing and able to trace the campaign contributions of the Pennsylvania
cyber charter lobby.
Lookup 990 Forms for Pennsylvania
Cyber Charter Schools
ProPublica Nonprofit
Explorer - Research Tax-Exempt Organizations
Note: The figure in
the recent annual revenue column might be different than the revenue listed on
the latest available Form 990. This is because the IRS provides more recent
revenue data for some exempt organizations than is available in the publicly released
detailed filings.
“Yet currently, only 11 percent of the
state’s $6.2 billion basic education funding is distributed through the student-weighted formula. We
must fully fund the formula as quickly as possible – not in tiny increments
year after year.”
Why we marched from Overbrook to Lower Merion to demand
fair school funding | Opinion
Vincent Hughes and Gregory Holston, for the
Inquirer Updated: September 23, 2019 - 1:43 PM
Vincent Hughes is a
Pennsylvania state senator representing Philadelphia’s 7th District. Gregory
Holston is executive director of POWER, an interfaith organization.
Walking from
Overbrook High School in Philadelphia to Lower Merion High School in Ardmore is
a little less than four miles – but the two public schools feel worlds apart. The
world Lower Merion High School occupies is full of resources – a pristine
building complete
with science labs, a spacious and light-filled library, impeccable art and
music rooms, and a state-of-the art auditorium. The world that Overbrook High
School occupies is absent resources – a historic, yet dilapidated building that
was built nearly 100 years ago, science labs without running water, a lack of
functioning art and music rooms, and an auditorium that – while grand – is
shedding bits of its ceiling, like tiny leaves falling from a treetop. Needless
to say, the physical differences between the two schools are stark. Yet the
students in each school are remarkably similar. They’re trying to navigate the
whirlwind of schoolwork, social pressures, and family responsibilities that
teenagers face, while figuring out who they’re becoming as people. Those common
threads that connect students trying to navigate their way through adolescence
makes the distance between the schools seem even shorter than 3.5 miles
separating Overbrook and Lower Merion high schools. But there is a divide that
separates the quality of education they receive: the color of their skin.
PAGOP Unanimously Endorses President Trump at Fall
Meeting
PoliticsPA Written
by John Cole, Managing Editor September 23, 2019
HERSHEY-
Pennsylvania was a key factor in helping put Donald Trump in the White House in
2016. At the Pennsylvania Republican Party’s fall meeting, they touted his
agenda and delivered their official endorsement for his 2020 campaign in hopes
of keeping him in office for four more years. “The president has restored
a national spirit of optimism and a belief that our nation and its future is
bright,” PAGOP Chairman Lawrenence Tabas said. “He has given us a reason to be
proud and confident again.” During Tabas’s first state committee meeting
since being elected Chair
in July, he lauded
the Trump administration for “keeping promises” and painted a picture of a
“hopeful” country due to his three years in the Oval Office thus far. “He
has successfully rebuilt our economy, created millions of new jobs, many of
them here in Pennsylvania, strengthened our national security, rolled back many
overreaching and unfair government regulations, which limit our individual
rights and take hard earned money out of all of our pockets,” Tabas said at the
Hershey Lodge on Saturday morning. “However, as great as his accomplishments
are, the president has given us something far more valuable. For the first time
in a very long time, we have a reason to be hopeful again.”
House of
Representatives Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session
COSPONSORSHIP MEMORANDUM
Posted: September 20, 2019 02:31 PM
From: Representative
Curtis G. Sonney
To: All
House members
Subject: School District Cyber Education Programs
I am preparing to
introduce legislation that will require all school districts in the
Commonwealth to offer full-time cyber education programs accountable to local
communities.
In 2002, the
General Assembly authorized the creation of cyber charter schools, which are
authorized at the state level. None of these schools are accountable to local
communities even though local taxpayer dollars are used to support them.
Under my
legislation, the constant tension between school districts and cyber charter
schools will be eliminated. Cyber charter schools, instead of being separate
school entities, will be able to serve as third-party vendors and work with
school districts to offer full-time cyber education programs. School districts
will also be given the flexibility in creating their own full-time cyber
education programs or work with third-party vendors such as intermediate units,
cyber charter schools, institutions of higher education, other school
districts, or educational entities to offer these programs. The goal of my
legislation is to offer students access to high-quality cyber education
programs in a way that is accountable and transparent to local communities.
Key components of
my legislation include:
·
School districts
must offer full-time cyber education programs by the 2021-22 school year.
·
To preserve school
choice, school districts will be required to offer students with the choice to
attend three different full-time cyber education programs.
·
In order to
participate in a full-time cyber program, students and parents must participate
in an annual onboarding process and orientation.
·
To ensure direct
access to teachers, there are maximum student-to-teacher ratios for core
subjects.
·
All staff must be
properly certified.
·
If a certain number
of students are enrolled in the cyber program, the school district must
establish a cyber school for academic accountability purposes.
·
The State Board of
Education must convene a Cyber Education Advisory Committee consisting of
superintendents, school board members, and representatives from intermediate
units, third-party vendors, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to
provide advice and guidance on cyber education.
·
If a school
district contracts with a third-party vendor, all information related to the
contract is required to be posted on the district’s publicly available website.
·
A public hearing
must be held on a school district’s planned cyber education offerings.
As chairman of the
House Education Committee, I constantly hear concerns from constituents related
to the cost and accountability of cyber charter schools. Cyber education is an
important choice parents should be able to make for their children, but local
accountability is desperately needed to control the quality and cost of these
programs. Please join me in sponsoring this important legislation.
Students and parents
write testimonials about Bellefonte eLearning Academy. BeLA is the cyber
education program through Bellefonte Area School District that provides
district students with online learning opportunities.
Bellefont Area School District Tweet by Brit
Milazzo @m11azzo September 23, 2019
Wolf introduced a charter reform proposal this summer, which included specific measures that could
limit cyber charter school growth. State Rep. Curt Sonney (R-Erie) has a bill
that some cyber operators consider a financial death sentence because it would
eliminate tuition payments from districts who offer their own, in-house virtual
education option. Sonney recently became chair of the House Education
Committee. If Sonney’s bill becomes law, it would be among the more dire outcomes for cyber charter proponents. Sources say there could be a
middle-ground proposal that would require districts to pay cyber schools a set
amount, with parents picking up the rest of the tab if cybers charge above the
baseline. The question is if the political momentum created by the governor’s
proposal — and backed by rising unrest among superintendents — will overcome
school-choice advocates.
A clash on cyber charters kicks off fall legislative
session in Harrisburg
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent September 16, 2019
Stefaine D’Amico
says her oldest son Bobby was bullied relentlessly at the public and Catholic
schools he’d attended. “The bullying just took over. That’s all he cared
about,” she said. “He would go to school and sit there like, ‘Oh my god are
they looking at me? Are they gonna say something?’” For sixth grade, the
Delaware County mom decided to send Bobby to a cyber charter school, where he
could learn online from home. She says the cyber school has been a godsend,
providing Bobby the refuge needed to focus on academics. He’s now a senior and
he’s thriving, D’Amico says, who has also enrolled her other two children in
cyber charters. On the other side of the state, Beth Pacoe, also a mother of
three, had a much different experience. The family had tried public and private
schools in Pittsburgh but didn’t like either.
“K12 Inc. and the Baltimore-based
Connections Education—the two largest national virtual school management
companies—spend millions of dollars on well-connected lobbyists to convince
lawmakers to see things their way. Together, the companies educate over half of
the over 200,000 students who are enrolled in virtual charter schools. They
have hired hundreds of lobbyists, according to the National Institute on Money
in State Politics, and spent more than $14.5 million to retain those lobbyists
since 2000 in the 25 states with publicly reported lobbying expenditures
examined by Education Week. That dollar amount is likely an
underestimate—in several states, lobbying expenditures don't have to be
reported, or, if they do, the dollar amounts are reported in broad ranges. Connections
Education confirmed that it has spent $1.3 million in lobbying in 27 states so
far this year. Pennsylvania and Colorado are among the top states for lobbying
by both companies. Since 2007, the companies together spent $1.8 million to
lobby lawmakers in Pennsylvania, and since 2003, spent $1.3 million in
Colorado.”
Reprise 2016: Outsized Influence: Online Charters Bring
Lobbying 'A' Game to States
Education Week By Arianna Prothero November 3,
2016 | Corrected: November 3, 2016
For five years in a
row, the Hoosier Academies Virtual School had been failing.
The school, where
students take all of their classes online while at home, had been assigned an
"F" grade from the state of Indiana every year it had been open
except its first, when it had garnered a "C." That troubled track
record had finally made the virtual school of nearly 4,000 students a candidate
for state regulators' chopping block. In September, Hoosier Academies
representatives appeared before the Indiana board of education to make their
case for giving the school another chance. There, they revealed their strategy:
the creation of a second virtual school—one to which they had siphoned students
who were most behind. Those students, they argued, would get more support and
specialized services. Glenda Ritz, the state schools chief in Indiana, bluntly
noted that shifting the neediest students would raise the original school's
grade and possibly spare it from being shut down. It was another close call for
a virtual charter school run by K12 Inc., a national company based in Herndon,
Va. K12 Inc. is the country's largest for-profit operator of full-time, online
charter schools and runs effective lobbying efforts in more than 20 states, including
Indiana, where it has spent nearly $1 million dollars lobbying Indiana
lawmakers and donating to their campaigns and political parties since 2007.
LETTER: Charter
schools: Pa. taxpayers deserve better
Daily Local Opinion
by Lisa Lightner, Avondale September 23, 2019
On Sept. 22,
the Daily Local News ran an op-ed piece from Lowman Henry
titled "The Education Establishment targeting Charter Schools." I
suppose that since it was on the op-ed page, I shouldn't be surprised that the
essay was very heavy on the "op" part. However, Mr. Lowman offered no
facts to support his argument that Governor Wolf is targeting charter schools
with his proposed reforms to "protect the wealth and power of the
education establishment." I, for one, support Governor Wolf's reforms, and
I see this as a politician (finally!) stepping up and holding charter schools
responsible and accountable. Finally, Pennsylvania taxpayers are having their
tax money protected instead of some wealthy charter school owners and private
interests. Before one leaps to judgement and agrees with Mr. Lowman, please
read the following facts about Charter Schools. I'd also like to remind all
taxpayers that school choice does not automatically equal a better option.
Statistically, charter schools are not holding their own. First, Governor Wolf's
proposed actions will save PA taxpayers almost $290 million a year. How?
Simple. It costs about $5000 to educate a student using cyber charter schools.
However, those cyber charters receive anywhere from $7000 to $11,000 per
student of taxpayer money. If the child is a student identified with a
disability that makes them eligible for special education, the cyber charter
may receive as much as $40,000 to educate that student.
Impasse looms over
latest effort to ease bite of Pennsylvania school property taxes
By FORD TURNER THE MORNING CALL | SEP 20,
2019 | 6:12 PM
A bipartisan group
of Pennsylvania lawmakers deliberating the future of the school property tax
appears headed for an impasse on whether to reduce or end it, and likely will
pass along a list of options to House and Senate party leaders to pursue. The
informal group, led by Republican state Sen. David Argall of Schuylkill County,
has met repeatedly in the past two months to try to chart a course on the
future of the tax, which is perceived as overly burdensome. Wednesday morning,
Argall said one meeting remained and that the goal was to present House and
Senate party leaders ― who appointed the approximately 15 members of the group
― with multiple options for pursuing legislation. The concept, Argall said, was
to “let them take those options back to the caucuses and get some vote counts.”
His statement came after Rep. Peter Schweyer, a Lehigh County Democrat and a
member of the group, said in an interview that the group appeared to be split
into two camps. One, Schweyer said, wants to eliminate the property tax
completely, and the other wants to take what Schweyer described as “more
realistic” measures that would reduce reliance on the tax or mitigate the
perceived unfairness, without completely eliminating it. “I do not believe at
the end of this we are going to achieve consensus on what the goal is,”
Schweyer said Tuesday, adding that he respected the effort and leadership of
the panel.
Pennsylvania’s Safe2Say program is something to talk
about | Opinion
Pennsylvania
has launched a new Safe2Say Something violence prevention tipline.
By Vincent Hughes and Pat Browne Express-Times guest columnist Posted Sep 23, 11:08 AM
Republican State
Sen. Pat Browne of Allentown represents the 16th Senatorial District.
Democratic State Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia represents the 7th
Senatorial District.
In the aftermath of
the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida, as well as other tragic
violent incidents across the United States, it was vital to find an effective
way to immediately stem the tide of tragedies and better protect students,
teachers and administrators. It was clear a new, effective hands-on approach
was necessary to get ahead of and prevent potentially devastating
school-related events in Pennsylvania. Recognizing that students and teachers
are often the first to notice something is not right or to hear about a
potential threat, we determined a safe and secure outlet was needed for
students, parents and others to report school safety threats anonymously. With
this in mind and out of the desire to better protect students in school, the Pennsylvania’s Safe2Say Something program was born. We decided that while other strategies may be useful to
prevent school violence — enhanced physical barriers in schools, cameras,
better training, mental health counselors, etc. — simply providing a secure
access point to report potential threats would be an immediate, cost-effective
and proven technique to save lives.
Called to do our part
Tom Gentzel, Executive Director & CEO at National School Boards Association Published
on September 20, 2019
This article
first appeared in the October 2019 issue of American School Board Journal.
I provide my
service to everyone. I don’t ask about your ancestry, income, race, religious
beliefs, sexual orientation, citizenship, or social standing. I don’t care if
your parents work in a mine or on the top floor of a corporate headquarters. I
am not concerned about how you are dressed or where you live. I will serve you
even if you cannot speak English or if you need special assistance. My door is
always open to you; my commitment to your success, unconditional. I am American
public education. You are welcome here.
This is the school
system that has been a foundation of our country — one that ensured all
children would be provided an education and, at the same time, a chance to
assimilate into a society with people from every country on earth. Each of
these goals is important; both are necessary. This, of course, is easier to
write than it is to implement. Saying we are dedicated to providing every child
a high-quality education regardless of who they are, as well as offering
opportunities to learn about others who may not look the same, is a noble
declaration. It speaks to our highest values, including equal opportunity for
all. Yet, real life seems to get in the way of delivering on the promise. We
have good reason to wonder if the commitment to public education remains as
cherished today as it was in the past.
Parent Who Criticized His Son's Math Program Is Sued By
Curriculum Company
Education Week By Sarah Schwartz September 10, 2019 |
Updated: September 20, 2019 | Corrected: September 12, 2019
A group of families
in Wake County, N.C., have pushed for months to get the district to stop using
a controversial new curriculum. Now, the company behind the curriculum is suing
one of the most vocal parents for defamation. It’s a surprising move that some
say could have broad implications for parent advocacy around curriculum and
instruction. A win by the company “would certainly cast a shadow on the idea
that parents have a right to participate in their own children’s education, to
criticize schools for buying particular textbooks, to voice their concerns
about instruction and curriculum,” said Tom Loveless, an education researcher
formerly at the Brookings Institution, who is not involved in the case. The
Mathematics Vision Project, a publisher of open source math curricula, filed a
complaint this summer against Blain Dillard, a parent in the Wake County public
school system. MVP has accused Dillard, an outspoken opponent of the math
program, of libel, slander, and “tortious interference with business
relations.”
Information about the
education sessions for the 2019 @PasaSupts @PSBA School Leadership Conference are now live on our
website! We hope to see you there! #PASLC2019
What: Informal
discussion on cyber charter schools
When: 9 a.m.
refreshments, 9:30 a.m. panel, Oct. 7
Where: Central
Pennsylvania Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, 800 E. Park Ave., State College
AAUW State College
Branch invites you to attend an informational panel discussion to learn more
about background and issues connected with cyber charter schools. Join us on Oct.
7, at the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800 E. Park
Ave., State College (visitor center off Porter Road). Refreshments, 9 a.m.;
panel discussion, 9:30 a.m.
The American
Association of University Women State College Branch is part of a nationwide
network of about 1,000 branches that are dedicated to advancing equity for
women and girls.
Adolescent Health and
School Start Times: Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics
Workshop Nov 13, Exton
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Clarion Hotel in
Exton, PA
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
“Each member entity will have one vote
for each officer. This will require boards of the various school entities to
come to a consensus on each candidate and cast their vote electronically during
the open voting period (Aug. 23 – Oct. 11, 2019).”
PSBA Officer
Elections: Slate of Candidates
PSBA members
seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a
nomination form no later than June 1, 2019, to be considered. All candidates
who properly completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate
of candidates below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on
June 15th at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates.
According to bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine
candidates highly qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to
each person’s name with an asterisk (*).
WHERE: Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October
16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact
created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the
drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging
role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the
challenge. Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education
and insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest
product and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership
Conference to grow!
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization
that I may be affiliated with.
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